The US wants to isolate the Iranian regime and thus force it into a nuclear agreement and unblock the Strait of Hormuz.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a surprise visit to Moscow, in part, to urge the Kremlin to "reduce military and economic support for Iran." He "conveyed the wish that Moscow cease transferring weapons and defense technologies to Iran," writes Bild, citing Politico.
The US wants to isolate the Iranian regime and thus force it into a nuclear agreement and unblock the Strait of Hormuz.
Liana Fix, an analyst at the American think tank Council on Foreign Relations, explains: "Russia has been providing Iran with satellite imagery that helped Iran target American targets." In addition to this, there is an "ecosystem of shadow fleets": Russia and Iran cooperate to circumvent international oil sanctions.
Trump might have sent the CIA director to Moscow with a very specific goal, Fix believes: "A demand for the Russian side to force Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz."
However, it is clear that Putin will not simply pressure his allies in Tehran: "Russia, of course, will demand something in return. Or, conversely, the US will threaten Russia with sanctions."
However, the real problem for the US is not Russia, but China, says the expert. Beijing buys a significant portion of Iranian oil and is not at all interested in supporting the US in its campaign against the ayatollahs.
What can Trump do about this?
"There is great hesitation within the American administration about escalating with China. Regardless of the topic – Iran, Ukraine, tariffs… On these issues, the US has already conceded twice," Fix reminded.
Liana Fix does not believe that Trump sent his intelligence chief to Moscow solely due to concerns about Russian escalation in Europe. She said: "I think the topic of Iran was an important part [of the negotiations during this visit] and that it could not have been only about Russia's hybrid war against Europe." Europeans are, of course, concerned about this, but the Trump administration considers it a "less significant" issue.
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